What are the typical Germans like?

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There are many clichés about us Germans. What should you know about us Germans in a sales talk?

May 2022 – As a counsellor, I have heard a lot of opinions about us Germans in recent years. Overall, many non-Germans think: typical Germans are unfriendly, cold and humourless.

Well… how can we be characterised?

1. Germans work hard, efficiently and are very disciplined!

Factually, that’s right. We Germans think very practically and try to find a solution to every problem.

After the USA, Germany has the most patent applications. We are very inventive – especially in medical technology.

My tip:

If you hear in a sales talk “That’s a problem…” you can be sure, you will hear it often… please don’t give up. The German customer is only engaged with your product. It is a good sign!

2. We Germans have a great sense of humour! Really?

Really, we Germans have a great sense of humour. At the latest at the Football World Cup in 2014, the world was surprised by our sense of humour and the fact that we can even party. …and not too badly…

The humour is just different compared to others. We Germans love ironic and dry and not at all the “silly” jokes.

When we Germans smile or laugh, we also mean it sincerely and find the funny situation really funny and laughable.

My tip:

Look into our eyes. We usually mean what we say…at least most of us do.

3. We Germans are well organised and stick to rules!

In fact, we Germans love to plan. We plan and plan and stick to our plan first, no matter what. But that doesn’t mean we can’t be spontaneous. We usually always have a plan B for every possible situation. This has to do with the fact that we try to be correct. We stick to rules and laws – usually at least😊.

My tip:

In any case, please keep this in mind if you want to import a medical product into Germany… especially if your product has to do with databases and clouds. No other country, for example, has implemented the General Data Protection (GDP) like we Germans have.

4. We Germans are known for our punctuality!

Indeed, we Germans are known for it. Of course, this does not apply to every German, but to most. The only exceptions are when we are stuck in a traffic jam on the road, the train is late or something else bad has happened.

My tip:

If you have an appointment with a German, you’d better be there 5 minutes earlier or on the minute. Many Germans consider unpunctuality rude.

5. We Germans love traditions!

Actually, traditions are very important in Germany. We Germans stick to them. These can be, for example, an annual folk festival, such as a shooting match, or the Oktoberfest in Munich or the carnival in Cologne.

When we Germans drive a Mercedes, for example, we probably drive it for life. We are creatures of habit in this respect.

My tip:

Exactly the same applies to our business relationships. Usually, these can last a very long time if the quality does not diminish.

If you want to know more about the typical Germans and need one or two tips for your business partnership, please feel free to contact me.